What about Franklin Graham’s border-closing idea?

There seems to be some unnecessary division in the Body of Christ surrounding Franklin Graham’s statement about closing the US borders to Muslim immigration. After reading two articles accusing him of inciting hatred and spreading fear, I decided to actually read Mr. Graham’s Facebook post and to watch his Fox News interview for myself. I wanted to hear his own words and observe the non-verbal communication in order to get a sense of where he was coming from, and to see what everyone was so upset about. I’m glad I did.

It seems to me that the argument is one of those “apples and oranges” kind of conversations, where people compare things that aren’t really comparable. The result is an irreconcilable, and completely unnecessary, stalemate.

On the border-closing topic, Mr. Graham is talking to Americans about what the US Government should be doing to protect its citizenry from a viable threat by Islamic terrorists. He is speaking as a patriot, and encouraging other citizens to seek that protection through the use of their Constitutional right to appeal to their representatives.

In their rebuttals, Mr. Graham’s opponents are talking about how followers of Jesus should be reaching out to Muslims in the love of Christ. They are speaking as those who have dear Muslim friends, and who don’t want all Muslims to be classified and viewed as terrorists.

In short, Mr. Graham is exhorting the US government to close its borders to all Muslim immigration “until this threat with Islam is over.” (His words.) Mr. Graham’s line of reasoning did not appear to be motivated by fear or hate, but rather by simple logic. He is simply saying that the first and most obvious way to prevent a Muslim terrorist slipping through is to not let any Muslims in at all. For a while. He did not say in his post, or in the interview I watched, that Muslims are all terrorists, but rather that the current terrorist threat is basically Muslim. Since the groups and individuals he is referring to call themselves Muslim, and claim to be acting on Islamic principle, that seems like a fair statement on his part. (Please see my previous post, “What about ISIS?” for more on that topic.)

In a nutshell, Mr. Graham’s critics are exhorting the Body of Christ to realize that most Muslims are not part of a terror organization, and that many Muslims are in fact victims of such groups themselves. Their heart is for the Church to show the love of God to Muslim people. People who may in fact be refugees fleeing the terror, and need a place to go. A place like America.

It seems very clear to me that both sides of this “argument” have their hearts in the right place, and each one makes perfect sense in its context. Only, it is not the same context. The two sides are not talking about the same thing. What do I mean?

It’s about roles. The role of government and the role of the individual are not the same, and for good reason.

The fact is, government has the moral responsibility to protect the welfare of its citizens. At the same time, each individual has the responsibility to love his neighbors. It is a difference of roles.

For example, the commandment “thou shalt not kill” is addressed to the individual. “Thou shalt not kill.” Yet, government is given authority to execute justice to the point of killing. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. …if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” (excerpted from Romans 13:1-4, NASB)

Is God contradicting Himself? Of course not. If every individual was free to avenge we’d have chaos. If there were no governing authority to do it, we’d have chaos. God’s plan for individuals is to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, and forgive like Christ. God’s plan for government is to bring order, enforce good and punish evil as an agent of God on behalf of its citizens. (Am I saying governments actually do that? No. I’m saying that is their purpose, according to the Bible. My point is the difference in God-given roles.)

Good and evil are everywhere. In every place and in every people group. The fact that we all have many nice Muslim friends that we care about and who care about us does not mean that Islamic terror groups are not really a threat. It does not mean that countries should not take steps to protect their citizens from radical militant Muslims. In fact, Muslim countries are making every effort to do just that! If there is anyone who understands just how dangerous Islamic terror groups really are, it is our Muslim neighbors.

We believers have the opportunity to shine brightest when the world around us is darkest. Let us rise to the occasion as individuals, as local bodies, and as The Church. Let us not expect government to do for us (or for others) what only we are commissioned and empowered by our Lord to do.

Post-Script: Many Christian individuals and organizations are ministering to Muslims in the midst of the terror. More on that in my next post.